'Becoming' critically reflective practitioners: academics' and students' reflections on the issues involved

摘要

Learning is a core concept within HRD and the ability to understand and enhance individual and organizational learning is key to effective HRD practice. Critically reflecting on practice is a central feature of effective learning and many authors (Kolb 1984; Reynolds 1998; Schoen 1983) have argued that reflection on practice is an essential skill for managers and professionals. But how do practitioners 'become' reflective practitioners? This 'perspective on practice' paper provides some insights into the processes involved and the interventions that can be used to enhance reflective skills. The paper will be of interest to readers who are concerned with operationalizing the concept of reflective practice. This includes academics and HRD professionals who have responsibility for designing and implementing learning initiatives and practitioners who are expected to practise reflective skills and continuous professional development (CPD). The authors of this article are responsible for the design and delivery of postgraduate programmes. Two postgraduate programmes provided the case studies for this research and further detail is provided below. A stated aim of the programmes was to develop the students as critically reflective practitioners. This paper reports on the emerging outcomes of an action research project, which explores how students and academics can 'become' critically reflective practitioners. The paper also reports on planned future research and discusses the applicability of the research to the HRD profession.